Police: Marshal, 2 officers hurt in Fla. shooting

A suspect hiding in an attic opened fire and critically wounded a U.S. marshal and two St. Petersburg police officers as they tried to arrest him Monday morning, officials said.

The suspect remained barricaded inside the house where the shooting happened, police spokesman Michael Puetz said.

Puetz said when marshals and officers arrived at the house, they were told by a woman that the suspect was in the attic. The three were shot as they tried to get him out and arrest him on aggravated battery charges, Puetz said.

Police used a vehicle to punch a hole in the wall to rescue one of the wounded officers, Puetz said. All were taken to the hospital, where the police officers were in critical condition and the marshal was in stable condition, he said. The woman from the house is safe and with officers, Puetz said.

Further details, including the identity of the suspect and the wounded officers and marshal, were not immediately released.

Monday's shooting was the latest in a string of attacks on law enforcement officers and comes just four days after two police officers were killed in a shootout with a suspect in Miami. The officers had been part of a task force serving a murder warrant. The suspect, who had a lengthy record and was considered by police to be a career criminal, also was killed.

On Sunday, a man opened fire inside a Detroit police precinct, wounding four officers including a commander before he was shot and killed by police. Authorities said the gunman walked in just after 4 p.m. and fired indiscriminately. The officers' injuries were not considered life-threatening, said Police Chief Ralph Godbee.

And on Monday, a Lincoln City, Ore., police officer was critically wounded when he was shot during a traffic stop. Oregon State Police said the officer had pulled the suspect over for speeding.